St. Gertrude Chicago

All are Welcome

1420 W. Granville,

Chicago, IL 60660

773.764.3621

stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org

www.stgertrudechicago.org

Bulletin for Sunday, January 12, 2025

The Baptism of the Lord

From Fr. Mike Gabriel

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, and we pray especially for all families who have had a child baptized during this past year. We offer them our prayerful support and ask God’s blessing upon them. With this feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we officially conclude the Christmas season.

It is now appropriate to start taking down your decorations and putting away all your gifts. Regardless, keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your heart throughout the year. Perhaps consider keeping one decoration up as a reminder that the Lord is born for you.

Once again, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all who made Christmas so wonderful here at St. Gertrude’s. So many people worked tirelessly to help us celebrate these great days in a meaningful way. Many gave generously, enabling us to reach out to those less fortunate. Others shared their precious gifts of time, talent, and treasure throughout the year to help us continue Christ’s mission and to spread the Good News that He lives among us—Emmanuel.

Thank you also to everyone who showed kindness and generosity to me personally and to our staff through your many acts of love and support. We deeply appreciate you and all that you do for us. This has been a wonderful Christmas. Praise God! The days are getting longer. Christ has brought us light and new life. Treasure these gifts above all and always.

Refugee and Immigration Ministry

Next Sunday, there will be an announcement from the Refugee and Immigration Ministry here at St. Gertrude. As many as 100 million people worldwide today have been forced to flee their homes because of violence, persecution, lack of education, poverty, or simply for the dream of a better life. St. Gertrude’s remains committed to helping others find a safe place to begin anew. There will be a second collection to assist in fulfilling this mission.

Giving Tree

Thank you as well to all those who participated in the Giving Tree. Altogether, we collected $3,905 worth of gift cards for those in need. Special thanks to Joe McMahon for leading this initiative this year.

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Please join me in praying for children in our parish who will be making their First Reconciliation on January 21. 

Night of Romance

The Night of Romance is back by popular demand! Don’t wait—register today. The event will be held on February 8. See the bulletin for more details. Please note that registration is limited to 25 couples.

Friday Morning Men’s Prayer and Scripture Discussion Group

The Friday Morning Men's Prayer and Scripture discussion group will have in-person gatherings on Fridays in January and February.

They are at the St. Gertrude Ministry Center, 6214 N. Glenwood. We meet for social conversation at 7:45 am and begin prayer at 8:00 am. 

We read and share our insights into the Scripture readings for the coming Sunday. We want to better live the Gospel in our daily lives and we share what the readings mean to us, from our personal perspectives rather than a scholarly point of view. We finish with an “Our Father” at about 9:00 am. Some opt to linger longer as their schedule permits.

An option to meet via Zoom is also available. Here is the Zoom information for our weekly gathering:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84331230411?pwd=rnUN9lmPtxjVg6bdiQ5QnsbBlpcptc.1 

Meeting ID: 843 3123 0411; Passcode: pray

There are currently about 6-8 guys participating in a typical Friday morning gathering.  We hope several who are reading this will also find this to be appealing and give the group a try.  If you are interested and plan to come, it would be helpful – but not required – if you let Allen Stryczek know you are coming by sending him an email at astryczek@sbcglobal.net.  

Book Club Gathering is Tuesday, January 14

The book club will discuss Tom Lake by Ann Parchett on Tuesday, January 14. Please note, we now meet on the second Tuesday of the month! The gathering is at 7:00 pm in the Ministry Center, located at 6214 North Glenwood Avenue.  

We would love new voices and opinions!

Contact Lea Cloninger at her new number, 773.213.0509, or Sue Benjamin at 773.551.8401 with questions.

Midwest Workers Super Bowl Tamale Benefit - Orders Taken Next Weekend

On Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 19, Midwest Workers Association (MWA) will be taking orders of tamales after Mass for their annual Super Bowl Tamale Benefit. MWA volunteers will return on Sunday, February 9 to deliver the tamales after the 8:00 am and 10:30 am masses. Saturday mass attendees are asked to pick up their orders on Sunday morning.  

The tamale benefit generates critical support for MWA’s Winter Survival Campaign, which includes door-to-door membership canvasses, utility bill advocacy to avert utility shutoffs and restore service, winter-watch phoning, and warm clothing distributions.

If you are interested in ordering tamales, please stop by their table at the main church 

entrance or call their office at (773) 285-0485. Supporters can place orders by the half 

dozen for chicken in green sauce, cheese and jalapeno (vegetarian), or black bean and cactus (vegan.) There is a suggested donation of $10 for a half dozen tamales or $20 for a dozen. 

Groups of volunteers are urgently needed to play a role in making tamales from February 3 through February 6, as well as participating in MWA’s membership canvasses and benefit advocacy sessions. Speak with an MWA volunteer next weekend about how you can play an ongoing role in MWA’s Winter Survival Campaign. 

No Religious Ed Classes on Sunday, January 19/Rectory Office Closed on January 20

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is Monday, January 20. There will be no Religious Ed classes on Sunday, January 19. 

The Rectory office will be closed on Monday, January 20. Mass will be held at 7:30 am.

Care for Real Collection is January 25-26

Our next collection drive for Care for Real is January 25-26. Care for Real is urgently seeking donations of diapers in sizes 2-6, baby wipes, juice boxes, thermal layers (all sizes) gently used coats (all sizes), hand warmers, lotions and hand soap, shampoo and body wash, adult incontinence under bed pads.

Our collection drive for Care for Real is always the fourth calendar weekend every month, and our asylum seekers’ collection is the first weekend of each month.

We are so grateful for your help supporting Care for Real as they work to provide food and much-needed supplies to our neighbors who are struggling.  

Reconciliation for First Communion Candidates is Monday, January 27

Please keep the young students of our parish in their prayers as they prepare for their First Reconciliation on Monday, January 27 at 6:30 pm in church.

Contact Eloy Escamilla, our Pastoral Associate for Religious Education and Youth Ministry, at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org if you have questions.

You're Invited to An Evening of Romance

Save the date! St. Gertrude's Marriage Ministry is planning a special evening for couples on Saturday, February 8. The night will celebrate, renew, and strengthen your sacred commitment to your life partner. 

The night will start off at 5:00 pm mass, followed by cocktails, appetizers, dinner, and dancing from 6:00-10:00 pm. Dim lighting, romantic decorations, and great food will set the mood for an evening for you and your partner to reconnect and socialize with other couples in the Social Hall.

The cost is $125 per couple and includes dinner, beer, and wine. Tickets are available at https://bit.ly/NightofRomancetickets. Only 25 tickets are available. In order to prevent cancellation of event, we need at least 15 couples to purchase tickets. 

For more information, contact mgabriel@stgertrudechicago.org.

Help Wanted!

We are also looking for volunteers to help with bartending, serving, and dishwashing. Sign up at https://bit.ly/NightofRomanceVolunteers.

Join Our Choir!

Happy 2025! As the new year begins, are you looking for other ways to contribute to the Mass that you know and love? Consider joining the choir to help us further make a joyful sound!

Rehearsals are on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm. All voices are welcome. If you have any questions or want to learn more, please email me at jhannau@stgertrudechicago.org.

Growing in Faith

Today's Gospel shares, “You are my beloved child.”

With these words, God affirmed what was true of Jesus even before his baptism. They are likewise true of us and everyone else, with or without baptism. Jesus, for example, later says, “Whatever you do for one of these least, you do

for me.” (Mt. 25:40)

Surely, however lowly, exalted, or unbaptized anyone might be, they qualify as one of the least. Jesus, in identifying the least–us–with himself, affirms that we, too, are addressed here by God.

What does it mean to be God’s child? I heard the following story once from Catholic lay missionary Edwina Gateley.

It’s about a king and queen who were very good, loved and respected by the people.

They had a five-year-old daughter. One day the kingdom was pillaged and all the royals killed, except the girl. She wandered off, traumatized, and forgot her past.

A poor farm family found and adopted her, and she dug potatoes for them. Sometime later, a former servant in the palace walked by the field, recognized the girl, and said, “You are the beloved daughter of the king and queen–the ones whom we revered.”

The girl continued to dig potatoes, but now with pride and inner strength. She had a

sense of identity and knew who she was, the child of royalty.

We are the beloved children of royalty, of God, whether we dig potatoes, provide care for

family members, preside over a mighty corporation, clean the factory floor, serve at mass, or celebrate the mass, and all the other things we do. You are a beloved child of God and so am I.

~ Art Lyons

Prayer for a New Pastor

God of new beginnings, be with us, the people of St. Gertrude, as we await the appointment of our next Pastor. Enable us, in this time of waiting, to be a people of hope, trusting in the presence and power of the Spirit.

We thank you for the pastoral leadership of all who have been pastors of our faith community, for those who have ministered as members of pastoral staffs over the years, and for the gifts of the Spirit shared in countless ways by those whose lives have graced this sacred space. 

May the community of St. Gertrude continue to be a beacon of welcome, of hope, of reconciliation, of peace and justice for all who seek you.

Bless those priests who may be considering applying to be the next pastor of our faith 

community and of all who will be a part of the discernment and selection process. Bless the works of our hands. We ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Catechist Needed

Our Confirmation catechist recently needed to step down to address health issues. We are now in urgent need of a new Confirmation teacher.

If you can help, please contact Eloy Escamilla at eescamilla@stgertrudechicago.org.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025: Gathering in Hyde Park on Saturday, January 18

There will be a gathering to celebrate the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from 5:00-7:00 pm on Saturday, January 18 at Living Word Community Church, 5407 S. Hyde Park Boulevard in Chicago.  

Christians in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity every year from January 18 to 25.  During this week, we are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for the unity of his followers stated in John 17:21, “Father, may they be one as You and I are one.”

The 2025 theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is Do you believe this? (Jn 11:26)  This was the question that Jesus asked Martha, Lazarus' sister, after sharing with her "Your brother will rise again." Prayer and action will be effective if they are based on our firm trust in God and by living in a way that is consistent with our belief.

If you would like more information about this event in Hyde Park, please contact Allen Stryczek at astryczek@sbcglobal.net.

Upcoming Mass Intentions

• Monday, January 13: 7:30 am - Living and deceased parents of St. Gertrude parishioners
• Tuesday, January 14: 7:30 am - Mary McGuinness+
• Wednesday, January 15: 7:30 am - Purgatorial Society
• Thursday, January 16: 7:30 am - Communion Service
• Friday, January 17: 7:30 am - Mary Shepeck+
• Saturday, January 18: 7:30 am - Enoch Rivers+; 5:00 pm - Robert McNamara+
• Sunday, January 19: 8:00 am - Michael Cannon+; 10:30 am - Valerie Patterson+; 10:30 am Gym - Cheryl Stanton+

If you would like to add a name to the prayer list, please contact the Rectory at 773.764.3621 or email stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org. Names will remain on the list for three weeks. After that time, please renew the name using same contact information.